I am gonna be over from Perth approx March9 to March15. My home base will be a hundred metres or so back form the beach on Henley Beach Road. I am taking the unicycle and will be looking to ride a lot of unfamiliar routes.

Long rides can be a lot more interesting when I get into explore and amble mode or it is where things are happening. Most of my riding is (usually legally has to be - unicycle, not bike) on footpaths and local roads. I am quite OK mixing with pedestrians. I expect I will do a fair bit along The Esplanade and Sea View Road and probably a bit of riding around Glenelg. Long straight riding between the interesting bits is fine and expected.

If anyone has any suggestions -interesting areas, interesting streets, street markets/events, nooks and crannies, I am open to suggestions. Just around my local area, say no more than 10km from the Henley Beach BWS.

Head the short distance down the Esplanade to the mouth of the River Torrens and you have a beautiful well-surfaced car-less flattish cycle path running through stunning riverbank parkland all the way from the sea up through the city and beyond to the foothills 35km away!

arkle wrote:Head the short distance down the Esplanade to the mouth of the River Torrens and you have a beautiful well-surfaced car-less flattish cycle path running through stunning riverbank parkland all the way from the sea up through the city and beyond to the foothills 35km away!

arkle

I have vague images in my head of a development around water and a lock between it and the sea. But my mind can't dredge it out. It would have been newish around ten years ago. Is that at the mouth?

No, I am not thinking of the locks in the city where popeye runs. This would be newish. I am not even convinced it is legit, perhaps just something in my head from a restless sleep some time.

arkle wrote:Head the short distance down the Esplanade to the mouth of the River Torrens and you have a beautiful well-surfaced car-less flattish cycle path running through stunning riverbank parkland all the way from the sea up through the city and beyond to the foothills 35km away!

arkle

I have vague images in my head of a development around water and a lock between it and the sea. But my mind can't dredge it out. It would have been newish around ten years ago. Is that at the mouth?

No, I am not thinking of the locks in the city where popeye runs. This would be newish. I am not even convinced it is legit, perhaps just something in my head from a restless sleep some time.

The Torrens is more of a wide stormwater drain than a river for the last couple of km before it reaches a weir and the open sea, but it's flanked with meadows (with horses in them) and rather nice waterside habitats. As you go higher up it becomes a pretty river gully so you're cycling through trees and bushland all the way to the main sluice gates (lock) and weir in the city. Then you have the big lake. Then above the city it becomes a river gully again, but I don't think you'll get that far. I tend to start from Paradise Bus Interchange and cycle down to Henley Beach and back but that's on a bicycle, not a unicycle

a pdf map of the area with the bike friendly routes marked (more maps here)or a web based onethat's the mechanics, but you wanted to know "interesting areas, interesting streets, street markets/events, nooks and crannies"Semaphore is a suggestion. Main Street.You can also hire a FREE City Bike from the Henley Beach area.The Adelaide Fringe is on when you are here, so might be good to see what interests you there

arkle wrote:The Torrens is more of a wide stormwater drain than a river for the last couple of km before it reaches a weir and the open sea, but it's flanked with meadows (with horses in them) and rather nice waterside habitats. As you go higher up it becomes a pretty river gully so you're cycling through trees and bushland all the way to the main sluice gates (lock) and weir in the city. Then you have the big lake. Then above the city it becomes a river gully again, but I don't think you'll get that far. I tend to start from Paradise Bus Interchange and cycle down to Henley Beach and back but that's on a bicycle, not a unicycle

arkle

I just googled the ride from Festival Hall along the thorens and then off at Henley Beach Road to get to my bothers place. It is 17km which is about ideal for me. Opinions sought - How is it along that part of the river for riding? Bike path? Unsurfaced? Ashphalt? Lumpy? Too steep? General interesting scenery? Much activity along it? How steep is it if I choose to ride up hill instead?

Another day I could ride from Paradise Bus to Festival Hall. The same sort of questions and opinions on that stretch would also be appreciated. (I know some of that stretch would be too steep for going up hill on a unicycle.)

Clydesdale Scot wrote:a pdf map of the area with the bike friendly routes marked (more maps here)or a web based onethat's the mechanics, but you wanted to know "interesting areas, interesting streets, street markets/events, nooks and crannies"Semaphore is a suggestion. Main Street.You can also hire a FREE City Bike from the Henley Beach area.The Adelaide Fringe is on when you are here, so might be good to see what interests you there

Thanks Clydesdale. For both the maps and the heads up on the festival. I have particularly good memories of an over-abundance of street theatre in Adelaide one year during the Grand Prix. (I went to four of the GPs. You guys should never have lost it.)

ColinOldnCranky wrote:I just googled the ride from Festival Hall along the thorens and then off at Henley Beach Road to get to my bothers place. It is 17km which is about ideal for me. Opinions sought - How is it along that part of the river for riding? Bike path? Unsurfaced? Ashphalt? Lumpy? Too steep? General interesting scenery? Much activity along it? How steep is it if I choose to ride up hill instead?

Another day I could ride from Paradise Bus to Festival Hall. The same sort of questions and opinions on that stretch would also be appreciated. (I know some of that stretch would be too steep for going up hill on a unicycle.)

Bikely route is here select Show>Elevation Profile to get the elevation. The full linear park route goes all the way from the coast to the hills.the other section is here

Scenery is pleasant, surface is sealed all the way.the bumps are not steep and are really very very short. ie 30 seconds walk if riding is unsuitable.Philip

Make sure you get yourself along to the Garden Of Unearthly Delights (corner of East Terrace and Rundle Road) during the Fringe Festival. It's open every night and entry is free. It's like an outdoor carnival/circus/fairground, great atmosphere, lots of street acts to watch, plus lots of things to pay for if you can afford it.

arkle wrote:The Torrens is more of an open effluent channel than a river that conveys toxic blue green algae into the coastal waters of our swimming beaches in summer

arkle

FTFY

move back to melbourne then

Hmmm. What was it that the old timers used to say about the Yarra?

Yeah, that's right - "The Yarra - the river that flows upside down!"

Perth has a beautiful river. But we still have to acknowledge a problem with blue green algae. Indeed, we have three plants that inject oxygen into the river as various points to fight it. It seems to be a function of the Australian love of a well fertislised cool green lawn and a nice warm climate just like those of Adelaide and Perth.

Last edited by ColinOldnCranky on Mon Feb 11, 2013 8:25 am, edited 1 time in total.

arkle wrote:The Torrens is more of an open effluent channel than a river that conveys toxic blue green algae into the coastal waters of our swimming beaches in summer

arkle

FTFY

move back to melbourne then

I'm not a dicktorian to start with. I love the backwater we have here its just a pity that what should be a seasonal creek has become a drain with a festy lake in the middle. You should see the mass of BGA just past the Hackney bridge in Walkerville waiting to be flushed through. Thick enough to walk across and pretty stinky this morning.

arkle wrote:Make sure you get yourself along to the Garden Of Unearthly Delights (corner of East Terrace and Rundle Road) during the Fringe Festival. It's open every night and entry is free. It's like an outdoor carnival/circus/fairground, great atmosphere, lots of street acts to watch, plus lots of things to pay for if you can afford it.

arkle

Thanks for the heads up. I have always been a big fan of street performers in particular.

And street in the evenings like fringe tends to be goes so well with a beer in a hot climate.

(West End is fine but I swore thirty years ago to never again drink Southwark. )

arkle wrote:Make sure you get yourself along to the Garden Of Unearthly Delights (corner of East Terrace and Rundle Road) during the Fringe Festival. It's open every night and entry is free. It's like an outdoor carnival/circus/fairground, great atmosphere, lots of street acts to watch, plus lots of things to pay for if you can afford it.

arkle

Thanks for the heads up. I have always been a big fan of street performers in particular.

And street in the evenings like fringe tends to be goes so well with a beer in a hot climate.

(West End is fine but I swore thirty years ago to never again drink Southwark. )

Completely off topic. Green Death was bought by SA Breweries (aka West End, aka Lion Nathan) and was changed/"improved". It's ironic that Swan Brewery is set to close and all Swan branded beer will be produced out of the Thebarton brewery soon. Take the time to try some of the local micro brews (i.e. Vale Ale, Port Dock or Barossa), or the Ginja from the Port Dock or Tap Inn.

BTW, if you head down the coast you can meet up with several bike paths from the Glenelg area and can generally travel a while on those in all sorts of directions. Some are on quiet suburban roads until the bike path is completed (i.e. Mike Turtur Bikeway). A few of the councils are spending a bit of $$ to get these up to scratch so that you can eventually go from the city down to McLaren Vale on bike paths. Don't try to head north of the city on bike paths as they are few and far between. Very car centric councils in some places (i.e. Propsect City Council).

ColinOldnCranky wrote:I have vague images in my head of a development around water and a lock between it and the sea. But my mind can't dredge it out. It would have been newish around ten years ago. Is that at the mouth?

Sounds like the Patawalonga at Glenelg, which is the mouth of the Sturt river (drain) rather than Torrens river (creek).

ColinOldnCranky wrote:I have vague images in my head of a development around water and a lock between it and the sea. But my mind can't dredge it out. It would have been newish around ten years ago. Is that at the mouth?

Sounds like the Patawalonga at Glenelg, which is the mouth of the Sturt river (drain) rather than Torrens river (creek).

ColinOldnCranky wrote:I have vague images in my head of a development around water and a lock between it and the sea. But my mind can't dredge it out. It would have been newish around ten years ago. Is that at the mouth?

Sounds like the Patawalonga at Glenelg, which is the mouth of the Sturt river (drain) rather than Torrens river (creek).

Yep - looks like it. I dredged up an image of the "gelenelg barrage" which nailed it. Thanks . Thanks Clydesdale too.

I probably have enough to get me going but I am still popping back here from time to time. So if anyone has any other suggestions for rides I will see them.

Holdfast Shores is the development, the Patawalonga is the waterway and the water world you're thinking of was Magic Mountain which has been torn down and replaced with a shiny new version. I kinda miss the old one, it might have looked like a big brown fibreglass poo but it had a bit more character than the big tin shed they've replaced it with.

also make sure you contest the 69 strava segments between glenelg and outer harbour...

That and Seaview will likely be a daily ride anyway, just to substitute for my normal ride to work. The rest, as suggested here by you guys, just adds the interest to the trip. For me exploring and meandering is one of the pluses of riding over a car.

Looks like my brother has booked a couple of night around Seaford as well. At least I think he said Seaford. He mentioned that it has good paths for bikes.

Is there a set of maps published on-line of paths around Adelaide and surrounds? Sometime between now and Saturday evening I need to check it all ou t. Hell, I've been lazy, I haven't even bought up google maps cycle maps on the smartphone!

I notice Maslin Beach on the map thereabouts. Wasn't that the place that the location of a movie about thirty years ago -a day at the nude beach sorta theme. Or am I recalling one of your infamous gory murders or crimes? Of which you guys seem to have a fair share.

Hmmm, I'm thinking that maybe South Oz is not the place to go for a late night ride.

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